This invention relates to plugable coaxial connectors and a jack assembly employing such connectors.
Coaxial connectors are employed throughout high frequency systems whenever it is desired to connect the coaxial cable to some other element or to interface cables with some other system such as a lightwave communication system. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a typical female connector 10 employs a central connector element 11 surrounded partly by a housing 12 and partly by a leaf spring member 13. The leaf spring member is typically made of phosphor-bronze such that the leafs flare outwardly from the central connector 11 at one end. A sleeve 14 fits snugly over the spring member so that the leafs are compressed toward the central connector (but isolated therefrom) into a cylindrical pattern. Thus, when a coaxial cable plug (not shown) is inserted into the connector through opening 15 in the sleeve, the central connector element 11 makes mechanical and electrical contact with the signal portion of the plug, while the spring element makes mechanical and electrical contact with the grounded portion of the plug. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,127 issued to Kubota.)
While connections of this design perform adequately, it is desirable to reduce the size and cost of plugable coaxial connectors.